1. What is the Connection between Verbal Communication & Culture?

2. TODAY’S MENU I. Human Language: Distinctive Features and Rule Patterns
II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions
III. Verbal Communication Styles: A General Framework
IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-Ables

3. Do you know… The Top-5 Most Widely-Spoken Languages Worldwide?
Chinese , spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic

4. I. Human Language: Distinctive Features and Rule Patterns
An arbitrary, symbolic system that labels and categorizes objects, events, groups, people, ideas, feelings, experiences, and many other phenomena.
Can you guess how many languages exist worldwide?
6500 spoken language
2000 of those languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers

5. I. Human Language: A. Distinctive Language Features
Sounds (phonemic) and symbols (graphics and symbols)
Ω A é €  ∞
Arbitrariness:
concrete to abstract levels
Abstractness:
Abstracness = concrete to abstract levels
Because of this unique feature, we can plan for our intercultural journey, daydream, and fantasize about the infinite possibilities of our potential experience abroad.

6. I. Human Language: A. DistinctiveLanguage Features
Denotative and conotative
(literally – emotionally)
Meaning-Centeredness:
productivity, displacement, meta-communicative (use language mindfully)
Creativity:
Denotative meaning of a word emphasizes its objective, dictionary definition shared and recognized by the majority members of a linguistic community.
Connotative meaning, on the other hand, stresses the subjective, interpretive meanings of a word constructed by individual members based on their cultural and personalized language experience.
The productivity element refers to the immense creative capacity children and adults have—to say things never spoken before once they have mastered the basic “recipe” of a language.

7. I. Human Language: B. Mulitple Rule Patterns
Smallest unit of a word
the different accepted procedures for combining phonemes (the smallest sound units of a word). A,ch,tz
Phonological Rules:
Multiple sounds : how combinations of different sounds make up a meaningful word or part of a word
(e.g., “lead” and “er-ship” form “lead-er-ship”; or words such as “caff-eine” and “flow-er”).
Morphological Rules:

8. I. Human Language: B. Mulitple Rule Patterns
Grammar ; The order of the words helps to establish the meaning of an utterance. It is also reflective of the cultural notions of causality and order.
Syntactic Rules:
Meaning : the features of meaning we attach to words.
Ex : good, better, best ;
Semantic Rules:
Contextual rules
Ex : im fine ? It’s really fine? ;
Pragmatic Rules:
Pragmatic : gpp cewe sejuta makna

9. II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions

10. II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions
A. Cultural Worldview Function
Linear worldview (rational – objective) vs. Relational worldview (contextual)
B. Everyday Social Reality Function
Value priiority : Important-less important, powerful – powerless, interesting- not interesting
Ex = maleness vs femaleness ; jantan – betina
Worldview : ways of perceiving the world and how this outlook, in turn, affects our thinking and reasoning patterns.
- A linear worldview emphasizes rational or analytical thinking that is based on an objective reality.
A relational worldview emphasizes holistic or connected thinking that is based on a contextual reality.
Everyday social reality : everyday language serves as a prism or mirror through which individuals emphasize “important” versus “unimportant” events out there or “interesting” ver- sus “uninteresting” value priorities in a cultural speech community.
Code switching video taken from

11. II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions
C. Cognitive Shaping Function
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: “the shaper of ideas”
Language : strong filter between what we think and how our thinking pattern is shaped by the grammatical structure of our language system.
Strong Form vs. Weak Form
D. Group Membership Function
Language represents a rallying point for evoking group sentiment and shared identity.
The core symbols and linguistic catego- ries of a group often express ethnic and nationalistic sentiment.

12. II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions
E. Social Change Function
As innovative social beings, we are the creators of the social tool of human language.
New things - New words : google, googling, hastag, dot com, texting, etc
New shape : fareman –firefighter ; mankind – humandkind

13. II. Appreciating Diverse Language Functions: Cultural Worldview Function
Linear Worldview
Rational thinking
Objective reasoning
Facts and evidence
Polarized interpretation
Analytical dissecting mode
Tangible outcome
Relational Worldview
Connected thinking
Context-based reasoning
Context and relationship
Continuum interpretation
Holistic big-picture mode
Long-term relational outcome

14. In low-context communication, the emphasis is on how intention or meaning is expressed through explicit verbal messages.
In high-context communication, the emphasis is on how intention or meaning can best be conveyed through the embedded contexts
(e.g., social roles or positions, relationship types, intergroup history) and the nonverbal channels (e.g., pauses, silence, tone of voice) of the verbal message

15. III. Verbal Communication Styles: A General Framework
Low Contect Comm Patterns
Individualistic values
Linear logic
Direct verbal style
Matter of fact tone
Informal verbal style
Verbal assertiveness or talkativeness
Verbal self-enhancement style
High Contect Comm Patterns
Collectivistic values
Spiral logic
Indirect verbal style
Understated or animated tone
Formal verbal style
Verbal reticence or silence
Self-humbling style
Linear logic vs spiral logic – saya lapar , saya makan agar lapar hilang vs saya lapar, saya tidak boleh terlihat sbg cewe serakah, senyum dan menyilahkan orang yng dianggap lebih berkuasa lebih dulu makan, dll
Direct verbal vs indirect verbal : ayo makan (mengajak makan), besok kita kumpul di taman jam 10. vs sepertinya ini sudah waktunya istirahat ; bila ada waktu, apa bisa besok kita bertemu? (are you married or single vs klo aku nelpon kmu ada yg marah ga?. Bisa jemput aku vs aku besok bakal ke daerah rumahmu lho, naik apa ya yg cepet?
Matter of fact tone vs animated : marah – tone keras vs marah – senyum tapi terus yg disenyumin mati .
Assertiveness vs silence = ngomong sama guru secara langsung vs klo ada guru nunduk ga berani mengutarakan pendapat
Self enhancement vs humbling style = he self-enhancement style emphasizes the importance of drawing attention to or exaggerating one’s credentials, outstanding accomplishments, and special abilities – berani ngomong kemampuan dan pencapaiannya sejauh ini . The self-humbling style, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of downplaying oneself via modest talk, restraint, hesitation, and the use of self-deprecation message concerning one’s performance or effort. – merendah – ini bukan apa2

16. III. Verbal Communication Styles: A General Framework
LCC – HCC Application Analysis:
The Joy Luck Club: Film Clip
Roommates Video
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Compare and contrast the different verbal styles of the people in the videos.
What did the low-context communicator say/do? What did the high- context communicator say/do?
What recommendations do you have for these communicators to make this conversation go better?
Click the link on the Interactive Student Web site for access to the video.

17. II. Verbal Communication Styles: A General Framework
Beliefs Expressed in Talk and Silence
Silence is interpreted and evaluated differently across cultures and between persons.
How do you interpret silence?
Take a look at how the Japanese people use silence to mean different things…
Link to video:

18. IV. Intercultural Reality Check: Do-Ables
When using your native language with a nonnative speaker, to be flexible verbal communicators, try to practice the following guidelines:
Practice intercultural empathy
Learn to paraphrase and perception check
Use multiple modes of presentation
Practice language variation usage
Pay attention to nonverbal tone of voice
Understand basic differences of LCC and HCC patterns
Use nonverbal gestures to complement
Master the language pragmatic rule function

19. in a language he understands, If you talk to him in his language,
Parting Thoughts…
If you talk to a man
in a language he understands,
that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language,
that goes to his heart.
~ Nelson Mandela
Learn a new language
and get a new soul. 
~ Czech Proverb